Flame retardant fabric and manufacturing method thereof

ABSTRACT

Provided are a flame retardant fabric and a manufacturing method thereof. The flame retardant fabric has a structure in which warp yarns and weft yarns are interwoven with each other, wherein at least one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns includes carbon nanotube fibers, and the content of carbon nanotubes in the flame retardant fabric is at least 0.02 wt. % based on the total weight of the flame retardant fabric.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present invention relates to a fabric and a manufacturing method thereof, and particularly relates to a flame retardant fabric and a manufacturing method thereof.

Description of Related Art

In today's textile industry, fabrics with various functions have been widely used. By interweaving different types of fibers to form a fabric, the fabric can have different functions. For example, fibers with high heat resistance and high abrasion resistance may be used in fire-fighting clothing, heat-insulating gloves, and fire-resistant blankets. Therefore, how to improve the above-mentioned characteristics of the fabric has become one of the urgent research topics in the industry.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a flame retardant fabric, which is woven from carbon nanotube fibers.

The present invention provides a manufacturing method of a flame retardant fabric, in which carbon nanotube fibers are used for weaving.

A flame retardant fabric of the present invention has a structure in which warp yarns and weft yarns are interwoven with each other, wherein at least one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns includes carbon nanotube fibers, and the content of carbon nanotubes in the flame retardant fabric is at least 0.02 wt. % based on the total weight of the flame retardant fabric.

In an embodiment of the flame retardant fabric of the present invention, a metal layer is disposed on the surfaces of the carbon nanotube fibers.

In an embodiment of the flame retardant fabric of the present invention, the carbon nanotube fibers contain nitrogen dopants or boron dopants.

In an embodiment of the flame retardant fabric of the present invention, the carbon nanotube fibers contain natural fiber material.

In an embodiment of the flame retardant fabric of the present invention, the natural fiber material includes cotton, linen, wool, rabbit hair, silk, tencel or coffee.

In an embodiment of the flame retardant fabric of the present invention, the diameter of the carbon nanotube fibers is between 10 nm and 100 nm.

In an embodiment of the flame retardant fabric of the present invention, the density of the carbon nanotube fibers is between 0.5 g/cm³ and 1.8 g/cm³.

In an embodiment of the flame retardant fabric of the present invention, the material of the weft yarns is the same as the material of the warp yarns.

In an embodiment of the flame retardant fabric of the present invention, the material of the weft yarns is different from the material of the warp yarns.

In an embodiment of the flame retardant fabric of the present invention, one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns includes carbon nanotube fibers, and the other of the warp yarns and the weft yarns includes cotton fiber yarn, linen fiber yarn, wool fiber yarn, rabbit hair fiber yarn, silk fiber yarn, tencel fiber yarn, coffee fiber Yarn, nylon fiber yarn, polyester fiber yarn, rayon fiber yarn, acrylic fiber yarn or polyurethane fiber yarn.

In an embodiment of the flame retardant fabric of the present invention, the diameter of the fiber constituting the other of the warp yarns and the weft yarns is between 10 nm and 10⁶ nm.

A manufacturing method of a flame retardant fabric of the present invention includes the following steps. Carbon nanotubes are grown on a substrate. A drawing processing is performed on the carbon nanotubes to form carbon nanotube fibers. A spinning processing is performed on the carbon nanotube fibers to form carbon nanotube fiber yarns. A weaving process is performed on the carbon nanotube fiber yarns. The content of carbon nanotubes in the flame retardant fabric is at least 0.02 wt. % based on the total weight of the flame retardant fabric.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention, a nitrogen doping or a boron doping is further performed during the growth of the carbon nanotubes.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention, a metal layer is further formed on the surfaces of the carbon nanotubes after forming the carbon nanotubes but before the drawing process.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention, a method of forming the metal layer includes an electroplating process.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention, the carbon nanotubes is further mixed with natural fiber material after forming the carbon nanotubes but before the drawing process.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention, the natural fiber material includes cotton, linen, wool, rabbit hair, silk, tencel or coffee.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention, the carbon nanotube fiber yarns are used as one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns, and the material of the weft yarns is different from the material of the warp yarns during the weaving process.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention, one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns includes carbon nanotube fibers, and the other of the warp yarns and the weft yarns includes cotton fiber yarn, linen fiber yarn, wool fiber yarn, rabbit hair fiber yarn, silk fiber yarn, tencel fiber yarn, coffee fiber yarn, nylon fiber yarn, polyester fiber yarn, rayon fiber yarn, acrylic fiber yarn or polyurethane fiber yarn.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention, the material of the weft yarns is the same as the material of the warp yarns.

Based on the above, in the flame retardant fabric of the present invention, yarns containing carbon nanotubes are used as warp yarns and/or weft yarns, and the content of carbon nanotubes is at least 0.02 wt. % based on the total weight of the flame retardant fabric. Therefore, the flame retardant fabric of the present invention may have excellent fire resistance properties, and have good mechanical strength, stain resistance and ductility at the same time.

To make the aforementioned more comprehensible, several embodiments accompanied with drawings are described in detail as follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a manufacturing flow chart of a flame retardant fabric according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of a flame retardant fabric according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of a flame retardant fabric according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not drawn to the original dimensions. For the sake of easy understanding, the same elements in the following description will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

In addition, the terms mentioned in the text, such as “comprising”, “including”, “containing” and “having” are all open-ended terms, i.e., meaning “including but not limited to”.

In the present invention, yarns containing at least carbon nanotubes are used as warp yarns and/or weft yarns and woven to form a fabric. Further, in the fabric, the content of carbon nanotubes is at least 0.02 wt. % based on the total weight of the fabric. Therefore, the formed fabric may have an excellent flame resistance property, and have good mechanical strength, stain resistance and ductility depending on the characteristics of the carbon nanotubes at the same time. The flame retardant fabric of the present invention and the manufacturing method thereof will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a manufacturing flow chart of a flame retardant fabric according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, in step 100, carbon nanotubes are grown on a substrate. The substrate may be a silicon oxide substrate. The method of growing carbon nanotubes is, for example, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. During the growth of carbon nanotubes, the parameters of the deposition process may be adjusted to obtain carbon nanotubes with the required diameter and the required growth density. In addition, before performing the deposition process, a layer of metal particles may be formed on the substrate as a catalytic layer. The material of the metal particles is, for example, iron, nickel, cobalt, aluminum or a combination thereof. By controlling the distribution of metal particles, the physical properties such as the diameter and growth density of the formed carbon nanotubes may be further adjusted.

In addition, during the growth of the carbon nanotubes, a doping treatment may be optionally performed in-situ. For example, during the growth of the carbon nanotubes, a nitrogen doping or a boron doping may be performed in-situ to adjust the conductivity type of the formed carbon nanotubes. When the nitrogen doping is performed in-situ during the growth of the carbon nanotubes, N-type carbon nanotubes may be formed, and when the boron doping is performed in-situ during the growth of the carbon nanotubes, P-type carbon nanotubes may be formed.

Next, in step 102, a metal layer may be optionally formed on the surfaces of the formed carbon nanotubes. The method of forming the metal layer is, for example, an electroplating process. The metal layer may be a gold layer, a copper layer, a silver layer, an iron layer, or a combination thereof. After the metal layer is formed on the surfaces of the carbon nanotubes, the carbon nanotubes may have the characteristics of the metal layer, and therefore, the fabric formed subsequently may also have the characteristics of the metal layer. Depending on actual needs, step 102 may also be omitted.

Then, in step 104, a drawing process is performed on the formed carbon nanotubes to form carbon nanotube fibers. The steps of the drawing process includes, for example, using a tape to stick a corner of the substrate on which carbon nanotubes are formed and pulling it out in a direction perpendicular to the growth direction of the carbon nanotubes. At this time, the carbon nanotubes on the substrate are arranged in a filamentary manner due to Van Der Waal force, forming carbon nanotube fibers.

In addition, in step 104, depending on actual needs, carbon nanotubes may be optionally pre-mixed with natural fiber materials, and then subjected to the drawing process. In this way, carbon nanotube fibers with natural fiber characteristics may be formed. The natural fiber material may be cotton, linen, wool, rabbit hair, silk, tencel or coffee. For example, when carbon nanotubes are mixed with cotton, the carbon nanotube fibers formed by the drawing process may have both the characteristics of carbon nanotubes and the characteristics of cotton. The diameter of the formed carbon nanotube fibers is, for example, between 10 nm and 100 nm. In addition, depending on the growth density of carbon nanotubes, the density of the formed carbon nanotube fibers is, for example, between 0.5 g/cm³ and 1.8 g/cm³.

Next, in step 106, the formed carbon nanotube fibers are subjected to a spinning process to form carbon nanotube fiber yarns. At this time, the carbon nanotube fiber yarns may have various required characteristics depending on the components in the previously formed carbon nanotube fibers, which is not limited in the present invention. The spinning process is well known to those skilled in the art, and will not be further described here. In addition, the formed carbon nanotube fiber yarns have a required diameter depending on the actual situation, which is not limited in the present invention. In the above-mentioned spinning process, the formed carbon nanotube fiber may also be mixed with other fibers to form a carbon nanotube fiber yarn.

After that, in step 108, the formed carbon nanotube fiber yarns are woven to form a fabric. In the fabric of this embodiment, the content of carbon nanotubes must be at least 0.02 wt. % based on the total weight of the fabric. In this way, the fabric of this embodiment may have sufficient flame retardant property to serve as a flame retardant fabric. When the content of carbon nanotubes is less than 0.02 wt. %, the formed fabric cannot have sufficient flame resistance coefficient and cannot be used as a flame retardant fabric.

Depending on actual needs, only the carbon nanotube fiber yarns may be used to manufacture the flame retardant fabric of the present invention. Alternatively, the carbon nanotube fiber yarns and any existing yarns may be used together to manufacture the flame retardant fabric of the present invention. This will be described below.

In the case of using only the carbon nanotube fiber yarns to manufacture a fabric, the carbon nanotube fiber yarns of the present invention are used as warp yarns and weft yarns and a weaving process is performed, such that warp yarns and weft yarns are interwoven to form a fabric, and the content of carbon nanotubes in the fabric must be at least 0.02 wt. % based on the total weight of the fabric. In other words, the material of warp yarns is the same as that of weft yarns. As shown in FIG. 2, the carbon nanotube fiber yarns are used as warp yarns 200 and weft yarns 202, respectively, the warp yarns 200 and weft yarns 202 are interwoven to form a fabric 10, and the total content of carbon nanotubes in the warp yarns 200 and weft yarns 202 is at least 0.02 wt. %. However, the present invention does not limit the content of carbon nanotubes in the warp yarns 200 and the weft yarns 202, respectively. Depending on the actual application, the flame retardant fabric 10 may have various weaving densities, which is not limited in the present invention.

Since the entire of the flame retardant fabric 10 is woven by using the carbon nanotube fiber yarns, the flame retardant fabric 10 has the same characteristics as the carbon nanotube fiber yarns. For example, depending on the characteristics of the carbon nanotube fiber yarns itself, the flame retardant fabric 10 made of only the carbon nanotube fiber yarns may have good mechanical strength, stain resistance and ductility. In addition, since carbon nanotubes are artificially synthesized material, they have lower microbial adhesion and inertness compared with natural material. Therefore, the toxin content in flame retardant fabric 10 may be lower than that of natural material, and the flame retardant fabric 10 is not easy to react with external substances and cause deterioration.

In the case of using the carbon nanotube fiber yarns and any existing yarns to manufacture the flame retardant fabric of the present invention, the carbon nanotube fiber yarns are used as one of warp yarns and weft yarns and the any existing yarns are used as the other of warp yarns and weft yarns, and a weaving process is performed, such that warp yarns and weft yarns are interwoven to form a fabric, and the content of carbon nanotubes in the fabric must be at least 0.02 wt. % based on the total weight of the fabric. In other words, the material of warp yarns is different from that of weft yarns, and the total content of carbon nanotubes in the warp yarns 200 or the weft yarns 202 containing the carbon nanotube fiber yarns must be at least 0.02 wt. %. As shown in FIG. 3, the carbon nanotube fiber yarns are used as the warp yarns 200 and the any existing yarns are used as the weft yarns 204, and the warp yarns 200 and the weft yarns 204 are interwoven to form the flame retardant fabric 20, and the total content of carbon nanotubes in the warp yarns 200 is at least 0.02 wt. %. Depending on the actual application, the flame retardant fabric 20 may have various weaving densities, which is not limited in the present invention. The weft yarns 204 may be cotton fiber yarn, linen fiber yarn, wool fiber yarn, rabbit hair fiber yarn, silk fiber yarn, tencel fiber yarn, coffee fiber yarn, nylon fiber yarn, polyester fiber yarn, rayon fiber yarn, acrylic fiber yarn or polyurethane fiber yarn. In addition, in this case, the diameter of the fibers constituting the weft yarns 204 is, for example, between 10 nm and 10⁶ nm.

Since the flame retardant fabric 20 is woven by using the carbon nanotube fiber yarns of the present invention and the any existing yarns, the flame retardant fabric 20 may have the same characteristics as the flame retardant fabric 10 and also have characteristics as the any existing yarns. Therefore, the flame retardant fabric 20 may better meet the actual needs and have a wider range of applications.

The flame retardant fabric of the present invention will be described below with experimental examples.

Experimental Example 1

First, an iron layer is formed on a silicon oxide substrate by electroplating to serve as a catalytic metal layer. Next, benzylamine was introduced as a precursor and a growth process is performed at 850° C. for 30 minutes to obtain carbon nanotubes with a height of about 50 μm. Then, a drawing process is performed to obtain carbon nanotube fibers. Next, 1 wt. % of carbon nanotube fibers, 0.05 wt. % to 1 wt. % of adhesive (ligni) and cotton are mixed and spun to form carbon nanotube fiber yarns. Afterwards, the carbon nanotube fiber yarns are weaved by a plain weave method to obtain a flame retardant fabric.

The flame retardant fabric is subjected to a flame retardant test (according to ISO4589 or ASTM D2863), and it can be known that the flame retardant fabric has a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 38.5. Generally speaking, when the LOI of a fabric reaches about 25 to 26, it may meet the flame retardant requirements.

Experimental Example 2

Except that 0.02 wt. % carbon nanotube fibers, 2 wt. % adhesive (Nanomer® 1.30E nanoclay) and epoxy resin Epikote 240 (EP240) are mixed and spun, the flame retardant fabric was prepared in the same way as in Experimental Example 1.

The flame retardant fabric is subjected to a flame retardant test (according to ISO4589 or ASTM D2863), and it can be known that the flame retardant fabric has a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 25, which meets the flame retardant requirements.

Experimental Example 3

Except that 3 wt. % carbon nanotube fibers and polystyrene are mixed and spun, the flame retardant fabric was prepared in the same way as in Experimental Example 1.

The flame retardant fabric is subjected to a flame retardant test (according to ISO4589 or ASTM D2863), and it can be known that the flame retardant fabric has a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 27, which meets the flame retardant requirements.

Experimental Example 4

Except that 1 wt. % carbon nanotube fibers and commercial material containing 30 wt. % PK (m330A, Hyosung Corporation, South Korea) and 70 wt. % EG (808121, Sigma-Aldrich, USA) are mixed and spun, the flame retardant fabric was prepared in the same way as in Experimental Example 1.

The flame retardant fabric is subjected to a flame retardant test (according to ISO4589 or ASTM D2863), and it can be known that the flame retardant fabric has a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 36, which meets the flame retardant requirements.

Experimental Example 5

Except that 1 wt. % carbon nanotube fibers and commercial material containing 40 wt. % PK (m330A, Hyosung Corporation, South Korea) and 60 wt. % EG (808121, Sigma-Aldrich, USA) are mixed and spun, the flame retardant fabric was prepared in the same way as in Experimental Example 1.

The flame retardant fabric is subjected to a flame retardant test (according to ISO04589 or ASTM D2863), and it can be known that the flame retardant fabric has a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 45, which meets the flame retardant requirements.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the disclosure covers modifications and variations provided that they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents. 

1. A flame retardant fabric, having a structure in which warp yarns and weft yarns are interwoven with each other, wherein at least one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns comprises carbon nanotube fibers, and the content of carbon nanotubes in the flame retardant fabric is at least 0.02 wt. % based on the total weight of the flame retardant fabric.
 2. The flame retardant fabric of claim 1, wherein a metal layer is disposed on the surfaces of the carbon nanotube fibers.
 3. The flame retardant fabric of claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotube fibers contain nitrogen dopants or boron dopants.
 4. The flame retardant fabric of claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotube fibers contain natural fiber material.
 5. The flame retardant fabric of claim 4, wherein the natural fiber material comprises cotton, linen, wool, rabbit hair, silk, tencel or coffee.
 6. The flame retardant fabric of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the carbon nanotube fibers is between 10 nm and 100 nm.
 7. The flame retardant fabric of claim 1, wherein the density of the carbon nanotube fibers is between 0.5 g/cm3 and 1.8 g/cm3.
 8. The flame retardant fabric of claim 1, wherein the material of the weft yarns is the same as the material of the warp yarns.
 9. The flame retardant fabric of claim 1, wherein the material of the weft yarns is different from the material of the warp yarns.
 10. The flame retardant fabric of claim 9, wherein one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns comprises carbon nanotube fibers, and the other of the warp yarns and the weft yarns comprises cotton fiber yarn, linen fiber yarn, wool fiber yarn, rabbit hair fiber yarn, silk fiber yarn, tencel fiber yarn, coffee fiber yarn, nylon fiber yarn, polyester fiber yarn, rayon fiber yarn, acrylic fiber yarn or polyurethane fiber yarn.
 11. The flame retardant fabric of claim 10, wherein the diameter of the fiber constituting the other of the warp yarns and the weft yarns is between 10 nm and 106 nm.
 12. A manufacturing method of a flame retardant fabric, comprising: growing carbon nanotubes on a substrate; performing a drawing process to draw the carbon nanotubes to form carbon nanotube fibers; performing a spinning process to spin the carbon nanotube fibers to form carbon nanotube fiber yarns; and performing a weaving process to weave the carbon nanotube fiber yarns, wherein the content of carbon nanotubes in the flame retardant fabric is at least 0.02 wt. % based on the total weight of the flame retardant fabric.
 13. The manufacturing method of claim 12, further comprising: performing a nitrogen doping or a boron doping during the growth of the carbon nanotubes.
 14. The manufacturing method of claim 12, further comprising: forming a metal layer on the surfaces of the carbon nanotubes after forming the carbon nanotubes but before the drawing process.
 15. The manufacturing method of claim 14, wherein a method of forming the metal layer comprises an electroplating process.
 16. The manufacturing method of claim 12, further comprising: mixing the carbon nanotubes with natural fiber material after forming the carbon nanotubes but before the drawing process.
 17. The manufacturing method of claim 16, wherein the natural fiber material comprises cotton, linen, wool, rabbit hair, silk, tencel or coffee.
 18. The manufacturing method of claim 12, wherein the carbon nanotube fiber yarns are used as one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns, and the material of the weft yarns is different from the material of the warp yarns during the weaving process.
 19. The manufacturing method of claim 18, wherein one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns comprises carbon nanotube fibers, and the other of the warp yarns and the weft yarns comprises cotton fiber yarn, linen fiber yarn, wool fiber yarn, rabbit hair fiber yarn, silk fiber yarn, tencel fiber yarn, coffee fiber yarn, nylon fiber yarn, polyester fiber yarn, rayon fiber yarn, acrylic fiber yarn or polyurethane fiber yarn.
 20. The manufacturing method of claim 12, wherein the material of the weft yarns is the same as the material of the warp yarns. 